


The Magic Arrives at Macy's

by goodygoody19



Category: Undertale
Genre: Gen, Humor, OCs (If it wasn't obvious), Post-Pacifist Route, Racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-05-14 01:41:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5724709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodygoody19/pseuds/goodygoody19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Macy's has standards. Laurence certainly believes in them. Perhaps, then, he should be using them for things other then giving fashion tips to a skeleton and his friends?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Breathing 101: Just Do It

Laurence’s day had started out innocuously enough; the thirty-something man had come in to manage the 3rd floor as always, and just as always, he needed to give the 'start of week' talk. Boring, standard procedure, in the boring, standard break room. Sighs and whispers floated amongst the staff as he continued the routine, causing him to inwardly sigh. They knew, and the gossip had spread. Joy.

He rolled his shoulders and flashed a smile that could brighten up a sunless day. “As you are all aware, the recent reveal of a new monster population has led to some stirrings with the company. As such, while the boys and girls in HR, PR, and every other R set out to restrict our each and every action regarding interaction with them, for now we have been told to treat them as we would any other customer.”

He’d turned off the cameras in the break room for this meeting. He didn’t regret it.

“BUT THEY’RE A DANGER TO US-“

“WHAT IF THEY JUST TAKE IT, WE CAN’T-“

“-AND DO THEY EVEN HAVE MONEY? WHAT IF THEY TRADE A SOCK OR-“

Laurence felt his smile falter. As hesitant as he had been upon discovering monsters do, in fact, exist and, more importantly, were here to stay, he’d at least been willing to interact. The mess of a workforce in front of him, however, didn’t seem to agree.

Just as he was about to shout, glass shattered and the room went silent. “Excuse me, but I think he still had something to say.” A cold woman’s voice rang out. The crowd around the voice parted, revealing a short woman dressed in black and white. She calmly wiped her hands on her trouser leg before pulling a napkin from her blazer and moving to wipe up the shattered bottle at her feet.

She let out a sharp gasp, one hand instantly reaching for her back. Without thinking, Laurence rushed over to help her. “Thank you.” She whispered as he swept up the mess. Tears were forming at the strong scent, but Laurence wasn’t going to let his savior break her back over his eyes stinging.

She smiled up once he stood and took back the napkin. “Do watch your step on the way back young man.”

“Ah, yes.” He’d need that cleaned up later. For the moment, he had some words to say. He let the return take a full minute. Calm, slow steps echoed throughout the break room. He could feel the anxiety and guilt building around him, but only once he returned to his makeshift podium did he let the smile drop.

His eyes only hardened more at the tight faces in front of him. “Ignoring my disappointment in Macy’s delightful workforce, let me tell you all something. I’ve worked on this floor since high-school and dealt with some really monstrous customers. You have all, yes all of you, dealt with the screeching wife, the haggling husband, the shoplifter, the 'food-muncher,' and yes, even the dreaded 'scatterer.'” Winces rolled over the crowd. Good.

His voice turned harsh, and some of those tight faces loosened into…something. Was it fear, or annoyance? “As customers of Macy’s, they have all been dealt with as politely and kindly as humanly possible. If I discover that any of our new customers are treated in a manner unfit for this business, I will treat it as any other attempt at a sexist or racist action. Am I understood?”

A wave of nods and Laurence’s sunny smiled returns. “Good! Now, let’s get to work.” As the grumbling mob shuffled out of the break room, he swiftly moved to the perfume lady. Her blonde hair, thin and well combed, stood out among the sea of browns and blacks.

She had cheerfully patted a co-worker’s arm when she noticed him. “Ah, Mr. Vestin.” She smiled bashfully. “So sorry about that interruption. I was just showing off some of Bulgari’s latest and, well, fumbled it.” It all sounded like normal old lady honest, yet those brown eyes were dancing with laughter.

“It’s not a problem Ms. Besh….” Oh dear. That name-tag went on for quite a while. At his fumbling, a laugh escaped.

“Just called me Janika, young man.” She gave his arm a squeeze. “Now, is there anything I can do for you? I do need to go ready my products.”

She reminded him of his own grandmother. No nonsense attitude, but sweet and cheerful at the drop of a hat. “Yes, Janika. I just wanted to thank you for your, ah, fumble. It saved my bacon.”

She scoffed, waving it off. “Please, it saved these idiots’ bacon. Can’t even look at new opportunity before wanting to run it off.” She glanced at the clock and jumped. “Oh dear, I really must be off.” She smiled sweetly. “If you’d like some better cologne, stop by the elevator sometime. I’ve got just the thing for young man like yourself.”

He didn’t quite pick up his jaw until he was alone in the room. “I…thank you.” He rolled his shoulders and smiled. “Well, this day can only go up hill.” The empty room seemed to be disapproving of such false hopes and did not respond. He sighed. He didn’t believe that either, but work was still work. Perhaps no monsters would show up?

The first few hours were standard. No sightings of monsters meant no reasons to worry, at least extraordinarily so. Laurence spent the morning rush in a frenzy, practically running from one end of the floor to the other for problems.

By noon, he’d forgotten about the monsters entirely. He only heard loud voices in beauty products and sighed. What now, another haggler? Walking around the gaudy sales tables, he readied his classic smile.

It remained frozen on his face as he watched a skeleton loudly speak with a steadily panicking sales representative. “THIS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR METTATON, AND MAYBE EVEN MYSELF? OH HUMAN, HOW MUCH MIGHT THIS COST?”

In his (His? The voice sounded masculine, but…skeleton) hand (quite bony there), the sk- customer held a large vial of mascara (He…doesn’t have eyes. How…). And that, oh dear, that shirt. And those shorts. Fashion disaster. Someone clear a path, there’s a skeleton needing fashion CPR.

The young sales rep seemed ready to faint, but then she noticed him standing there. Standing. Not helping. “A-ah, Mr. Vestin!” She practically cried, wringing her hands.

“WHAT IS A VESTIN? IS IT A TYPE OF CURRENCY?” The skeleton turned. His eye-sockets raised, how- "AH, CLASSY HUMAN, PERHAPS YOU COULD EXPLAIN?” The skeleton’s free hand nonchalantly pointed to the still tearing girl, who whimpered. “THIS HUMAN SEEMS QUITE FLUSTERED BY MY GREATNESS. I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY, AS I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND. I, TOO, WOULD BE FLUSTERED TO MEET THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

Laurence was sure his jaw was moving. Up and down. Without a sound coming out. Customer, this is just another customer. Smile back, he not-too hesitantly answered the inquisitive gaze of this skeleton. “It is quite alright Mr. Papyrus. I, too, am quite shocked.” The grin on his face only grew. How do bones move like that? “As for a ‘vestin,’ that would be my last name.”

“OH!” Papyrus leaned down in…was it curiosity? Laurence raised an eyebrow, not backing away. “AND WHAT IS YOUR NEW ONE, CLASSY HUMAN?”

Ignoring the logic break of that statement, he answered cheerily, “Laurence. Now it appeared you had a question for our staff?”

The sales rep, who’d apparently been staring at them in open shock, whimpered again when Papyrus turned back to face her. “YES, I WAS SIMPLY WONDERING HOW MUCH THIS, EH, ‘COVERGIRL’ COST?” He raised his free hand to his chin in contemplation. “AND WHY DO THEY WANT TO COVER HER?”

The poor girl seemed to have forgotten basic breathing. Laurence coughed, grabbing the skeleton’s attention. Calmly walking over to the shining pink and yellow lines of mascara, he examined a bottle. “Oh, they’re simply giving her a fresh coat of paint to bring out her eyes. And that’ll cost thirty two dollars.”

“DOLLARS?” Worry etched into the white skull, he looked down at the bottle in his hand. “I, UNFORTUNATELY, DO NOT HAVE THOSE.” Laurence prepared his calm disappointment reassurance.  “I ONLY HAVE THIS GOLD.”  What.

The skeleton pulled a handful of gold coins from his shorts. Actual gold. Laurence’s smile faltered a tad. That made things difficult. “I’m sorry, Mr. Papyrus, but we cannot take this.” Were all skeletons that loaded? Laurence gave a patient smile at the obvious sadness on his face. “But do not worry. If you wish, I can hold onto it for you for up to a three days. Come back with the money, and it’s all yours, okay?”

Papyrus seemed to debate it, but then a broad…broader smile filled his face. Returning his gold, he grinned down at Laurence. “THAT SOUNDS PERFECT, CLASSY HUMAN! THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ENTRUST THIS COVERGIRL TO YOU FOR SAFEKEEPING.” He was quite gentle placing it in Laurence’s hands. With that, the skeleton turned toward the exit. “I THANK YOU, CLASSY HUMAN. HAVE A GREAT DAY!”

Laurence stood there, smiling and watching as the skeleton happily sauntered away. The gasps and mutterings following him caused his smile to twitch. Beside him, the sales rep seemed to be hyperventilating.

Well, day one set this whole ‘monster’ thing to an…interesting start.


	2. Meet and Greet

“What do you mean there have been complaints?”

It was supposed to be a nice, relaxing morning ride to work. Take the same, quite bus as every Tuesday. Listen to some smooth, soothing music. Consider which friends needed updates on the latest fashion trends. Receiving a phone call from HR about problems in his department did not fulfill any of those expectations.

The voice on the other end of the phone hemmed and hawed. His grip on the phone tightened. “Luis, answer.” Laurence growled. The person in front of him unconsciously leaned forward.

“Uhm, well, they were, uh, anonymous, and specifically called out scaring people.” Their voice was faltering. Laurence waited. He could hear irritated tapping from the phone. “That is, monsters were doing that.”

“The monsters. The monsters who have been nothing but curious and kind. The monsters who helped stop that shop-lifter. The monsters who-”

“Yes, those monsters Laurence!” Luis practically screamed into the phone. Laurence’s anger didn’t waver, but he lets the man compose himself. What a lovely day outside. The person in front of him had disappeared. Quietly, the man continued, “Listen, I’ve got nothing against them. But anonymous complaints are still complaints, and I’ve got over a hundred still needing reading.”

He really shouldn’t have such a grip on his phone, it might ruin his leather gloves. “I distinctly recall hearing that line before.” Laurence muttered. Luis didn’t respond. “Send me the ones that sound serious, and I’ll go over them. But a week has passed and nothing has happened. If some of our workers can’t deal with new clientele, they can take their complaints and shove them-”

A loud cough from next to him startles him. Oh, that’s a glare alright. The child seemed annoyed about their ears being covered. Laurence sheepishly apologized, ignoring the heat rising to his face. He got a scowl for his troubles.

“That better not be laughter on your end.” Laurence muttered. The distinctly-not-chuckling noise stopped as the bus slowed down. He let out a sigh, his last chance to sound disappointed until closing. “Listen, I’m at work now. I’ll make sure to send a notice explaining that no verdict has come down from higher up, so they’re still following my rules. Good day.”

Laurence certainly does not stomp his feet out of the bus. He was much too classy for that.

* * *

 

Last Tuesday had been the day of Papyrus. Since then, Laurence felt as if the entire population of monsters had run through his store (well, he felt it his. He made sure it ran on values after all). At least it seemed as if the staff was more used to them. Some even tried to hold conversations.

As he held his rounds, he found himself walking in on such a conversation. “A-are y-y-you sure?” A hesitant, somewhat nasally voice asked. Laurence felt his smile form as he arrived near the elevator. Janika’s station of perfumes and colognes glittered brightly in the light, and the woman herself animatedly talked to a hunched over yellow dinosaur.

“Of course my dear. This perfume will absolutely take her breath away.” She winked, then noticed Laurence standing nearby. “Oh, the prodigal son returns!”

He refused to snort at the nickname, but Laurence’s professional smile soften into a more genuine one. “Of course Janika. A child always knows mother is right.”

“I told you she’d love the perfume.” She said, wagging a finger at him. She had. She did. Janika shook her head and stepped away from the now very flustered looking lizard in a yellow dress at her side. “Laurence, this is Alphys. Please be a dear and regale her with how my product impressed your girlfriend.”

Professional setting. This is a professional setting. Laurence refused to blush, instead chuckling at his employee and holding a hand out to the lizard. “Lovely to meet you Ms. Alphys. I am Laurance Vestin, manager of this store. And indeed, Janika’s lovely products impressed my date this weekend.”

She smiled hesitantly, giving his hand a shake. “N-nice to meet you. O-oh!” Recognition glimmered behind her glasses, and she seemed excited. “You must be the, ah, ‘classy human’ Papyrus mentioned.”

Janika let out a loud laugh, but spun to greet another customer who had glanced a second too long at the ‘Eua de Velour’ proudly on display. She would not be letting that nickname go for a while, he thought. Laurence shrugged and smiled at down at Alphys. “I am somewhat surprised he talked about me, though I did mention my name. How did you know?”

She waved her hands frantically. “O-oh! Don’t worry about that. Papyrus u-usually calls new people he meets nicknames for about a month before switching to names.” She shrugged, and hesitantly laughed before adding, “I-it wasn’t too hard. The purple tie stood o-out to him. And he couldn’t wait to t-tell everyone in town about how kind you were.”

He blinked. No, no gaping mouth, even if that seems shocking. “I was only doing my job, Ms. Alphys. He is a customer, and here at Macy’s it is our duty to treat our customers with respect and dignity. Wait.” He tilted his head. Tell the whole town. He felt his eyebrows rise slightly. “Is he the reason my store has flooded with monsters as of late?”

“Ehehehe…ehe…p-probably?” She smiled hesitantly again. She has a wonderful smile, if only she had a tad more confidence. And perhaps a new dress. Certainly, if she pulled her shoulders back she’d be more…well, monsters would probably find that lovely. At his lack of response, she seems to drop further. Though there was something else in her eyes…fear? “I-is that a problem?”

“Oh heavens no!” He chuckles. She seems slightly surprised by that, but he gives a heartfelt grin. “Simply a bit shocking that one skeleton could bring that many people to one store.”

She chuckled a little, turning to the still shining perfume bottles nearby and picking one up. She held it as if it held some sort of dangerous chemical in it…which it probably did, Laurence thought. “Papyrus is a very, uh, honest soul. If he said this store was willing to deal with monsters, then the town would believe him. H-helps when he’s talking with Frisk all the time as well. They spread n-news faster than Catty and Bratty used to!”

Laurence’s response faltered in his throat as Alphys giggled to herself. Frisk? The ambassador between monsters and humans? A light shone down in his head, leading to the final realization that through one skeleton, he’d effectively captured the monster market in town. Most of his brain was stunned by this discovery. No words could describe his feelings.

The tiny part not silent was screaming in delight as it swan dived into the potential profits.

“Hmm, where on earth are the ingredients listed for these?” Alphys muttered, a clear tapping sound bringing him back to reality. She tried to spray a tiny bit out, but her claw-like hands didn’t give her a good grip.

“They should be on the box.” He said, voice smooth, as if his brain wasn’t holding a rave. “If I may?” He asked, hand out for the bottle. Without a glance, he pulled out a violet handkerchief and sprayed twisted the bottle cap. A strong scent filled the air, especially around his handkerchief. As she took it, he frowned at the bottle. Another gaudy and cheaply made thing. Honestly, what was Bulgari thinking? Nobody wanted to waste time with twisting caps. He placed it back on its display, unconsciously smoothing out the tinsel nearby.

The scrunching in her face (Snout? Nose?) upon sniffing got a chuckle out of him. “Well Ms. Alphys,” he said, taking back the offending object, “What was it you were looking for here? Janika mentioned someone else.”

Laurence was positive lizards couldn’t blush. Alphys didn’t seem to care about biology, however, as he watched a red tinge overtake her yellow scales. “Err, yes, I, uh, was looking for a, well, gift for my…” She hesitated. Oh, that look. Too many times had he seen that look. His mirror had shown him that look in his own brown eyes. He bent down, ignoring the scent of Chinese food as she whispered, “M-my girlfriend.”

“Ah.” He could see the worry in her eyes. Very carefully, Laurence took the dark thoughts and memories rapidly pushing their way to the front of his mind and kicked them aside for a supportive smile instead. “Ms. Alphys, as floor manager, I would be delighted to help you find a gift for Ms. …?”

“Undyne!” She practically shouted, and the look of excitement warms his heart. Yep. She’s got it bad. “Ehehe...” She muttered, rubbing the back of her head.

Laurence glanced around. A flash of jewelry revealed Janika had already grabbed herself another helpless victim. A couple of customers nearby peered down the elevator in surprise, but nobody else seemed to mind. Good. “Well, what do you believe Ms. Undyne would like?”

“Oh! Uh, something passionate. Or tough.” She glanced back at the perfumes and sighed. “I, err, don’t know if she’d like any of these though. N-no offense to J-Janika or anything!”

Laurence waved off the apology as he walked behind the counter. Despite the magnificent display for customers, with Janika’s products placed for maximum eye-candy, backstage left much to be desired. However, Laurence didn’t let the mess stop his search for-there it is! The full list of product names.

A skimming revealed his hesitant customer’s fears might be right. But…he glanced up. Awkwardly crossed arms, small purse dangling off one. And that dress! She needed something to brighten herself up. “I think I must agree with you here, Ms. Alphys. However, perhaps there is one you might be interested in?”

The stammering ‘no,’ and resurfacing blush meant a resounding yes, but he won’t push. Yet. If this Undyne ever comes in, however, he’d be sure to pull all the stops. This dino-lizard needed help! “He-hey! Stop giving me that look!” Her voiced seemed tinged with panic.

“I apologize.” Intriguing, was that fear again? Perhaps he was looking judgmental. He brightened his smile. “Simply considering options. What is Ms. Undyne interested in clothing wise? Perhaps a new top or dress might be in order.”

After a half hour of hesitant worry and new ideas, including a brief lecture on the importance of a self-image, Laurence managed to sell two ‘punk’ style outfits and an absolutely stunning crimson dress to Alphys. She still refused to buy herself something.

Despite that small setback in brightening someone’s life, Laurence proudly thanked his cashiers for their help. Not a single complaint or scoffing comment had come toward Alphys or any of the monsters. Why, over in jewelry one young cashier seemed to happily talking to a monster. Laurence gave a calm wave to the girl and…a long limbed clam? He mentally shrugged. Monsters.

“T-thank you so much for all your help!” Alphys stammered up to him as Laurence handed her the last bag. “I-it’s so nice to see that our worries are unfounded.” At his frown, she hastily smiled and stammered out, “W-worries that monsters would be, w-well…”

Laurence nodded. “I can completely understand. And as I’ve told my employees, as long as I am here, monsters will be treated as any human should be: with respect.” Even as he waved goodbye, Laurence could feel the very real smile on his face refusing to leave. A real dear, and she hadn’t even balked at any of the prices. Another reason upper management should love these monsters.

Laurence winced as his earbud burst with noise. An angry squabble in child’s formal wear, joy. From a distance, he could already see the man and woman arguing. His professional smile rose to the occasion as he made his way over. That man seemed respectable enough in his suit (well, respectable as one can be while yellowing over money). The outfit his wife wore went out of fashion last year, however; too much green and not enough yellow etched into it. It didn’t even match her skin tone. Honestly.

As he politely explained how the pair would be escorted out if the argument over which outfit at what price did not stop, Laurence smiled patiently. In his mind, a thousand doors yanked themselves open and slammed themselves shut. Out of sync. Why couldn’t people go about their lives without making scene? They were in public, had they no sense of self?

Apparently they did not, as the debate flowed from ‘which suit color at what price’ to ‘who bore the weight of making money.’ The duo’s child, a boy of no older than seven seemed to be fighting back tears as they watched. The sunny smile on his green t-shirt most certainly did not match their mood. Laurence eyed the adults. Not his argument, but the child…

“Hello there son.” Laurence said, kneeling down to look the child in the eyes. What a lovely color blue. They sniffled at him, muttering a response. “What’s your name?”

“Eric.”  He muttered. Their arm twitched, and, oh, Laurence couldn’t keep watching this. He rummaged through his jacket, reaching to pull out his violet handkerchief-

“OH THERE HE IS FRISK! HELLO CLASSY HUMAN!”

The loud voice was the only warning Laurence had before his feet flew off the ground, handkerchief still in his grip. Bony arms gripped him tightly in a hug. He could hear gasps from nearby, the arguing of Eric’s parents, and soft laughter.

“Mr. Papyrus, as lovely as it is to see you again, I do have an image to uphold. Could you please put me down?” Laurence grunted out, hopefully not too harshly. To be fair, upon releasing him, Papyrus had the decency to look ashamed. Ignoring the bruising most certainly forming, he smoothed out the wrinkles in his suit. There, composed and the perfect manager. Laurence looked up at the tall skeleton, and felt himself smiling. Could he really get angry at this skeleton? No. “Lovely to see you again. I take it your friend enjoyed your gift?”

Do skulls normally sweat? Better thought, how did Papyrus’ smile suddenly shift into an almost-frown? “Gift?” A soft voice said, from behind the skeleton and, oh there was more sweat. A child stepped out, looking up at the skeleton with curiosity and amusement on their face. They (he couldn’t tell if they were a boy or girl) didn’t speak again, instead moving their hands. After a moment, Laurence felt something click. Sign language. How on earth did a young looking kid like this know that? They could speak…

As they ‘talked,’ he examined the child. A rather plain face, though the smile rising to their face was adorable. That brown mop on their head saddened him; they could look so cute with longer hair. As for their outfit, well, it was also kid-friendly. They’d taken off a puffy blue hoodie, letting it hang off their head by the hood, revealing a yellow and red striped sweater underneath. Laurence frowned at the fraying sleeves. Didn’t they have something newer?

“ERR, WELL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT FRISK!” Wait, this was Frisk? Laurence straightened his back as the skeleton babbled, “I MOST CERTAINLY AM NOT GETTING EARLY PRESENTS! NOPE!”

That scarf must be made of sponge. Only reason the store floor hadn’t flooded. Frisk (the ambassador! The heir to monsters!) laughed, louder than before and resumed their sign language. A hesitant tug on Laurence’s coat grabbed his attention, and the sales rep turned to see Eric, the child’s mouth hanging open in wonder.

“Is that a talking skeleton?” He whispered, the flushed red fading from their face.

Laurence nodded, chuckling at the awe on Eric’s face.

Papyrus nodded, sweat still pouring down their skull.

Frisk nodded, still talking.

Eric’s father shrieked.

For a moment, Laurence wasn’t quite sure he’d heard that. The lack of noise other than labored breathing confirmed that the father next to him had, in fact, hit a note often reserved for sopranos. He’d be pleasantly surprised, but the horror etched in the man’s face made it clear he hadn’t prepared for that sort of career.

“A m-m-mo-mon-monster!” Eric’s father gasped out, finger shakily pointing at Papyrus. To her credit, Eric’s mother didn’t seem completely frightened, only worried. Eric’s face turned an interesting shade of red. Papyrus seemed confused.

“Indeed he is.”

“Yes he is!”

Laurence looked at the child, an eyebrow raised. That was quite a passionate look on Frisk’s face. The fact that they had spoken, and so confidently, however, really sealed the deal. Well, now to see if all this talk about the ambassador’s skills were true.

Frisk smiled up at Eric’s father. “Sir, this is Papyrus, one of my bestest friends.” The man shook more. The corners of the lips turned up slyly. “Tibia honest, he’s a real softy for such a bony guy.”

Eric’s mother quickly raised a gloved hand to her face, but not before a snort could escape. Papyrus seemed to be stuck glaring down at Frisk in annoyance and smiling proudly over to Eric’s family. Laurence decided smiling politely was still the best solution.

“FRISK! YOU HAVE BEEN HANGING OUT WITH MY BROTHER TOO MUCH! HE HAS CORRUPTED YOU WITH HIS DASTERDLY PUNS! HUMANS, I AM SORRY YOU HAVE TO STAND MY FRIEND’S POOR ATTEMPT AT HUMOR.” The honest look on his skull, in addition to the apologetic posing, threatened to crack Laurence’s façade. Eric was smiling now, and his father seemed to at least be breathing better. Perhaps now, he decided. Laurence coughed, and five heads turned.

“If there is no immediate trouble being caused, might I remind everyone that this is a public store for _public_ use?” The cringing meant his message got through crystal clear. Good. He turned to the still panicked father. “Sir, there have been monsters around for at least a week. There are more than thirty besides Mr. Papyrus walking around this store at this very moment. I do hope you will not react quite as…explosively to the next one.”

Eric’s father rapidly nodded his head, and after a few moments apologizing, quickly grabbed Eric. Laurence smirked as the child handed his mother a shirt. Smart kid, he’d grabbed an outfit while the adults had talked. Not what he would have picked for the kid, but it was what Eric obviously wanted.

“GOODBYE HUMANS!” Papyrus cheerily called. “I HOPE YOUR DAY IS AS GREAT AS MYSELF!” Frisk giggled and tugged on the skeleton’s orange scarf. They pair ‘talked,’ Frisk with their hands and Papyrus in his exclamations.

Feeling that this was a private conversation, Laurence walked away. Too much work to finish, after all. But now, he felt invigorated. Perhaps all this idiotic prejudice would fade away faster.

“ONE MOMENT, CLASSY HUMAN! YOU CANNOT WALK AWAY FROM GREATNESS SUCH AS MYSELF WITHOUT AT LEAST A GOODBYE!” Papyrus moved fast, Laurence noted. At least none of the displays were sent flying this time.

He’d definitely have bruises tomorrow. He could hear Janika howling with laughter from afar. “Mr. Papyrus, this isn’t exactly the time nor place-“

“OH WOWIE! YOU’RE RIGHT, CLASSY HUMAN.” Laurence barely stumbled at the sudden drop. He hoped his quick turn was graceful enough to make any onlookers forget it.

Magic. Only explanation for how a skull could be so expressive. He nodded in response as Papyrus dusted off his suit. Papyrus’ outfit still killed him inside. The orange scarf was nice, but those…hot pants and armor couldn’t possibly be common fashion amongst monsters. No. Orange, and perhaps some lime for a pinstripe suit? Suit pants and a blazer always worked well. But what about for lazy days? “ERR, CLASSY HUMAN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

“Hmm?” Papyrus looked down at him, sweat pouring off his skull once more. Did he really look that frightening? Laurence fixed his smile. “I’m sorry Papyrus, but I am fine.”

Frisk seemed to be giggling to themselves behind Papyrus, who nervously bounced back and forth. “GOOD, GOOD! BECAUSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS WORRIES WHEN HIS COOL AND CLASSY FRIENDS STARE AT THEM FOR TOO LONG.” He let out an audible gasp and held – oh dear, is that a mitten or a glove, he couldn’t tell – his hand to his head. “NO! I’VE DONE IT AGAIN! FIRST YOU, FRISK, AND NOW CLASSY HUMAN!”

Frisk seemed be having trouble holding themselves up. Laurence felt his smile twitching. He sincerely hoped his employees weren’t staring.

“I AM SO SORRY THAT YOU’VE FALLEN FOR MY GREATNESS, CLASSY HUMAN! AND BEFORE WE’VE EVEN-“

“Apologies, Mr. Papyrus, but, ah, I am already taken.” Laurence cut in. He was blushing. Oh, he’d never hear the end of it. “I, ah, was actually going to suggest a different way to greet me while I am at work. Which is here, you see. In this department store. Macy’s.”

Someone save me, he thought, as Papyrus apologized – or rather, profusely forgave - Laurence for his obvious infatuation to him. “BUT DO NOT WORRY! I SHALL MAKE YOU AND YOUR BESTEST BEST FRIEND SOME SPHA- AH, YES FRISK?” Papyrus looked down at the child, and Laurence let out a sigh. This skeleton was too much sometimes. “OH, OF COURSE, I WILL LOOK RIGHT AWAY! BE BACK IN A FLASH!”

And off he goes, Laurence thought. But Frisk was looking at him now. No need to worry, just an important child in front of him. Only has a family of probably very powerful monsters who would do anything for them. His smile felt quite strained. “I’m sorry, I never introduced myself to you directly, did I?” He knelt down and extended his hand. “Laurence Vestin, at your service.”

Yep, cool and classy. He certainly wasn’t screaming in his head.

To his shock, Frisk took his hand and said, in a deadly serious voice, “Ambassador Frisk Dreemur, at your purr-vice.” He couldn’t help it. He snorted, and the child smiled brightly. They released his hand and added softly, “Thank you. You’ve done a lot.”

A lot? “I’ve simply done my job, Ambassador. It’s what anyone would do.” What anyone should do.

Frisk didn’t answer, looking into his eyes. Laurence looked back, and after a moment, they shook their head. “It’s what you would do.” He felt his mouth open, but no words came out. For a moment, it struck him just how old the child sounded.

At the sound of Papyrus, however, the seriousness vanished and Frisk stepped back. “I’m sorry if we’ve taken away from your work, sir.” Their voice had grown soft once more. Papyrus apologized, saying something about a lack of food supplies in the store, but Frisk rapidly signed at him, and the pair turned to leave.

As he waved goodbye to them away, he couldn’t help but wonder what Frisk had gone through in the mountain. No child he’d ever met had that sense of determination in their eyes.

His thoughts were broken off by a call from maintenance. By the time closing rolled around, any thought of the ambassador had vanished from Laurence’s mind.

* * *

 

Dear Mr. Sequin,

I do hope you are having a lovely Thanksgiving. I wanted to thank you once more for inviting my fiancé and myself to dinner for the holiday; it breaks both our hearts to have to decline due to pressing family matters. However, I would like to make it up to you by cordially inviting you to our wedding to be held in a few short months. I know you are a busy man, and I do so hope you can make it. Do not fear, an official invitation should arrive after New Year’s, but you’ve been a close friend all these years, so I thought I’d let you in on our secret. Don’t let Larry know though!

Now that the formal stuff is out of the way, I have to ask: why hasn’t Macy’s given an answer to the monster question? Larry has been beside himself this past month dealing with the mounting pressure from his ‘anonymous’ complaints. You and I both know they aren’t real complaints.

Have you met any monsters yet? I know that one robot, Mettaton, has been in the city for a while. He seems full of himself, but I gotta admit, the robot’s got style. Anyways, the monsters Larry and I deal, while not quite as showy, are just so honest and fun to be around. There’s this one skeleton, Papyrus I think, who Larry has made his next project. Oh, and a yellow dinosaur, uh, Alphys. Yeah, the scientist. It’s gonna be just like what he did with Jenna in July. My baby doesn’t quit, hehe.

Right, right. I’m rambling. Larry isn’t writing, by the way, because he’s currently sifting through the fifty ‘serious’ complaints he’s received. Apparently monsters have mind control according to one of them. I know, they might already be controlling the president. Who’s actually a lizard-alien-robot…

Geez, I could feel the glare already. Point is, none of the monsters have been a problem. A couple have actually asked if Larry’s looking for employees! A large humanoid cat and gator pair. The seemed kinda alley-like, but they’ve apparently been working their own shop for a while. Besides, the pair works almost as well as you and Nick did. But Larry can’t hire them. You know why.

If it’s anything to you, I’ve been having little luck with my personal choices: still stuck as a teacher’s aide in the same dang school district as always. But some of the monsters I’ve run into during my days off have been so supportive of me! Oh, right, you haven’t been here in ages. There’s this new joint in town, a monster run bar called New Grillby’s. Your kinda place; greasy food, talkative regulars, and a warm fire. Literally, the bartender’s a living flame.

Anyway, I went into the bar with Jenna, and before we knew it, were laughing it up with this tall horse Marcus and Linnea (a rabbit). We’ve hung out more since then, and Owen and couple of the others have started coming with us. They’re a fun gang to be around. And, oh man, I haven’t even told you about their magic.

I know you’re a busy guy though, so let me say this: Please support them, Father. These are good people. What’s the difference between saying “yes” to these monsters, with their different forms and faces, and saying yes to Larry? Or saying yes to let him run the store? Or saying yes…to me?

Love,

            Your Baby Girl

                     _Clarisse_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So one week equals two and a half or so? Sorry folks, I'll do better.
> 
> This one was fun though. I know most people like to write Frisk as selective mute, but I can't get the thought out of my mind that they speak in short bursts one-on-one, or when they're determined about something.


	3. Big Teeth and a Dark Smile

Clarisse loved her house. All her favorite things were inside it after all. A comfortable couch to lounge – and occasionally fall asleep – on, a well-stocked, bright and sunny kitchen, a dark library with a fireplace for winter days…oh, and of course her favorite man.

“Hey hun, got the pancakes waiting for ya.” Clarisse called from the kitchen. She giggled at the groan escaping their bedroom. “Are you really going to keep me waiting, Larry?” She cooed.

“Noooo...” He groaned, and she laughed. A few minutes later Laurence stumbled in, bleary eyed and wearing only his sweats. Clarisse shook her head, placing a plate filled high with pancakes and syrup at the kitchen island. “Morning darling.” He mumbled, a lazy smile thrown her way.

Oh yes, definitely her favorite man. “Good morning to you too Larry. Sleep well?” She said, walking over, her hands caressing his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer.

“I’d like to think so.” Laurence’s grin turned devilish. “And I’m sure you did as well.”

Clarisse laughed, pecking him on the lips before pulling away. “Definitely. Now then, breakfast. No skipping out on real food today.”

“Hey! Coffee is a real meal in its own right.” Laurence retorted, seating himself down.

Clarisse rolled her eyes as she stood opposite him, picking her food. “Yet you still wolf down my food like no tomorrow.”

“Because if there isn’t one, I can die happy.” Clarisse shook her head, taking a bite of her creation. Mhmm, strawberry syrup on these was the best idea she’d had ever thought of. She glanced up, smirking at the look of satisfaction on Laurence’s face. “I ever tell you how rugged you look with your hair like that?”

The horror on his face caused giggles to erupt. “I am not rugged hun.”

“Hmm.” She leaned over, flicking his short nose. “Well, I think you look quite sexy like that.”

“W-well thank you beautiful.” He responded, a light blush filling his cheeks. “You too. Oh!” His eyes lit up. “You never told me how the interviews went last week.”

Clarisse retracted, eyes downcast. Suddenly, the room didn’t seem quite as sunny. “Well, my name’s in their files now. Told me I could hold a TA position…” She refused to look at him, instead focusing on cutting into her food.

“I’m sorry hun. I wish I could do something to help you-”

Clarisse shook her head, plastering a smile on her face. Drawing on the remains of her good cheer, she said, “Its fine Larry. I’ll work with the elementary school for a little longer, that’s all. It’s not so bad.” His brow crinkled, but at least he didn’t pressure her more. She sighed. “What about you? Still sorting through all that junk mail from work?”

Laurence grunted, forcefully picking at the last of his pancakes. “I’ve barely dug into it. Honestly, I’d almost think a bot was spamming us with how much we get.”

“Is it okay if I take a look?” Clarisse asked. She stared blankly at his confusion. “What? Curiosity.”

So ten minutes later, she found herself laying on their unmade-bed, looking over Laurence’s shoulder as he booted up the computer. He glanced back. “Just so you know, the only reason I’m doing this is because you technically are a part of the company. I’m not supposed to-”

“Show non-employees, yes, yes.” She waved away his warning and smirked. “If you’d said no, I would’ve just waited for you to leave before looking.”

“And that is also why I agreed.” With that, he opened up his work e-mail and – Clarisse’s eyes widened as the already large number of unread e-mails seemed to grow before her eyes.

“Geez, you sure it isn’t a bot?” She mumbled. Absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair, Clarisse watched as Laurence scrolled through the massive pile of grammatical disasters spamming his in-box. She honestly couldn’t tell which enraged her more: the disgusting insults, or the fact that not a single one of them had the decency to follow basic grammar. Clarisse scoffed, catching her love’s attention.

“Laurence. This is utter crap. Have you notified anyone higher up?” Her eyes narrowed at the slight shake of his head. “Laurence.”

He rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Yes, I know I should. But if I do, they’ll see only the complaints, not the oddness in them existing.” He leaned over, kissing her forehead softly. “I’ll be right back. Bathroom break.”

She nodded, taking his place at the desk. All those e-mails right in front of her. Should she or shouldn’t she? “Like that’s even a question.” Clarisse mentally scoffed, opening one of the offensive messages.

“The YouTube comments section has better manners then some of these.” She mumbled. The click of the mouse became louder each message. “Betrayer. Shithead. Jackass. Moron. Ugh, these people are so unoriginal.” Clarisse muttered, distinctly ignoring the numbness settling in her chest.

Just as she reached her limit, something caught Clarisse’s attention. Nothing about the eye-catching complaint jumped out as ‘obviously fake,’ but it felt familiar. Like she’d read it already.

“Hey hun. Question for ya.” Smirking, she glanced back at Laurence. “When you write an e-mail, do you ever re-use phrases?”

She ignored the bewildered look on his face (even if he did look adorable with his jaw hanging like that) and pressed on. “I mean, I use ‘of course I didn’t,’ and ‘as you know,’ quite a bit. But here,” she presented her finds, “Notice anything about these in particular?”

“…’and you’re just as bad as them, you dirty ape! You don’t deserve to run this shin-dig, you damn ni-’” He cut himself off, eyeing the message closely. “Why, yes, that does ring a bell or two.”

“It’s not much, but if there really are only a handful of people sending these, you might be able to make a case. Also, who the hell uses the word ‘shin-dig?’ Seriously.” She swiveled around, grabbing his arm. “But more importantly, it means we might find those jackasses who threatened you the first time.”

Laurence sighed. “Clarisse, whoever they were, those employees are long gone. Why would they have stuck around?”

“Maybe because they still needed the job? Or maybe they were buying time, I don’t know!” Clarisse ignored the exasperated look on his face. “But if there is a chance they’re still here, then you can get rid of them for good. Besides, hadn’t you mentioned that there had been issues with sales counts in the months before the monsters came?”

“Yes, this is true. That does not mean there is a connection.” Laurence pointed out.

She threw up her hands. When had she stood up? “Who cares? They’re causing problems with you and the store!”

His hand caressed her chin. “Clarisse, you don’t have to worry.” Laurence spoke, low and confident. Her stared into her eyes. “I promise, nothing will come of it. Just…I’ll make sure to notify HR proper, okay?”

She yanked him closer, head settling in the crook of his neck. “Thank you. I don’t want to see this ruined for you, that’s all. You worked so hard to get here…”

Laurence hummed in response, his hand moving up and down her spine comfortingly. They stood there, reassuring each other for seemingly ages, before Clarisse slowly detached herself and smiled up at him. “Hey Larry, you have Wednesday morning off. Tuesday, I’ll invite some friends over and we can all chill out, k’? No thinking about racists, no worrying about my job future. Just you, me, and half a dozen cool cats.” Well, maybe not cats…

He nodded, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Sure Claire. I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

Clarisse hummed, enjoying the feeling of his arms settling around her. At least this felt honest. He was willing to do it for her. Well then. She pecked him on the check and pulled away grinning. “Perfect! In that case, I’ll bake some of that red velvet cake you like. Gotta make everyone feel welcome.” Laurence’s jaw dropped, his head bobbing up and down.

Clarisse laughed. He’s such a dork, but at least he’s her dork.

{===========================================================================}

Laurence couldn’t find his focus. Every smile fell flat, every handshake stiff. His employees were staring. All eyes on him again. He was sure the customers had picked up on it from their stilted handshakes.

“Yo, punk! You doin’ alright?” A loud, grating voice shattered his thoughts. Hastily, sloppily, slapping on his pleasant smile, he turned and promptly raised an eyebrow. A tall, fish-like creature bee-lined for him.

“Ah, yes I am quite fine Mrs…Undyne.” Right, this must be Mrs. Alphys girlfriend. Apparently, his knowledge of fish-women startled the monster. “It is Undyne, correct? Mr. Papyrus and Mrs. Alphys spoke quite highly of you.” He added, reflexively smoothing his jacket.

She grinned at him. What large teeth. “Yep! Better remember it, buster!” Laurence took a slight step back at her shift to a glare. “But let’s talk you, and what’s eating ya, eh?” Her voice had dropped low, but he was pretty sure that didn’t stop people from noticing.

“I promise you, everything is perfectly fine Mrs. Undyne.” Seriously, did she have an overbite, or were they fangs? “Now, what would be the occasion for your stop? Planning to buy Mrs. Alphys a present?”

“Bull - err, huh?” Undyne’s eye twitched. Bingo. “Yeeesss? How did you know?”

Laurence’s smile resembled her own. “I didn’t, but I’ve been waiting for this day. Come!” Ignoring the monster’s shocked protests, he practically ran to Janika’s station. “When Mrs. Alphys came in last month I was stunned! Where was her fashion? Her self-confidence?”

“Hey bud, that’s my-”

“But she wouldn’t take a single suggestion! Of course not, but if she won’t from myself, perhaps from her girlfriend-”

“She said that? To you?!”

“-she’d take advice.” He promptly stopped, releasing the bemused monster from his grip to seize assorted goods. Nearby, Janika glanced over and howled with laughter at the sight of him. “Now, let’s start with the basics. Perfume. What do you believe she’d love?” He held out a handful of bottles expectantly.

Undyne stared blankly down at the colored liquids inside. “Err, wha-”

“You’re right, much too gaudy.” The bottles landed back on display and Laurence poked around the boxes. “Eua de valour? De chante? No, no…” He snapped his fingers and twisted to face Undyne. “What do you love most? Besides Mrs. Alphys?”

“Woah, time out punk!” Undyne staggered back, chuckling. Laurence raised an eyebrow as she continued, “Man, you’re just like Papyrus over this stuff. So passionate! You humans really are amazing.”

“Ah! Passion, but in the exhilarating…here we go then.” He spun around, ignoring Undyne’s laughter to pull out a round vial of rose liquid. “Eua de parfum by Mrs. Marilyn. Here, what do you think?”

“What do I – oh.” Undyne’s face twisted into a sort of tiny smile. Laurence questioned where all the teeth went. “That, uh, that smells preeetty good.”

“Perfect!” Laurence cheered, sliding a note over to Janika and grabbing a bag. “Stop one for Mrs. Alphys complete. Come, we still have outfits to pick!”

Janika had vanished underneath a nearby display, gasping breathes and giggling giving away her position. The customer she’d been assisting seemed confused and slightly worried.

“Now then, what do you find Mrs. Alphys looks best in?” Laurence asked, calmly leading Undyne to the clothing department. “We have dresses, suits, blouses, shirts, sweats, teas-gah!”

Yanked back, Laurence was face to face with the fish-lady. Teeth size: still large. “Hold up, punk! I’ll be leading us around!” What a large grin.

He strained to stand on his toes. “Err, that’s, uh, perfectly fine, Mrs. Undyne. Could you please release me, however? Terribly hard to do my work in your, uh, grasp.” Laurence ignored the distinct cackling noise as she dropped him. Readjusting his tie, he stepped back to allow Undyne forward. “After you, madam.”

“Thanks, nerd.” She snorted. She strode by, purposefully stepping forward before freezing. “Wait a second. I was coming over to-”

“I said get out! Get out of this store, you freak!”

All noise within the store halted. “Excuse me Mrs. Undyne.” Laurence said, brushing past her toward the voice. Honestly, the day had been improving too. He could hear the woman speaking behind him, but he ignored her questions. He was still manager; he still had a job.

Status of women’s dresses: a disaster. A pair of lovely party dresses had been tossed aside, their feathery accessories wilting on the floor. Laurence calmly stepped over them, instead heading toward the sobbing lion-like creature holding themselves. Across from them stood a sales receptionist dressed neatly in graying suit, his face contorted in some ugly emotion as he watched the golden-furred dress-wearing monster shake before him.

“Sir, are you alright?” Laurence asked the monster. They bobbed their head up and down, but from the gasps and tears streaming down the matted fur, he guessed the answer was no. Pulling out his handkerchief, Laurence offered it with a kind smile. “Here, please take this. It would be a terrible waste to ruin your lovely dress.” He pointedly ignored the scoff from nearby as the lion quickly grabbed his offer for use.

“Phillip, a moment.” The receptionist stood silent, his gaze focused on a nearby stand. “Now.” Laurence ignored the too-silent store, the stares of shock around them. Instead he walked right past Phillip toward one of the stock rooms. Each footstep clicked against the floor, echoing, until a second set hesitantly followed after. He made sure to hold the door open, a pleasant smile held firm on his face.

His smile most certainly did not darken at Phillip’s shuffling. The man refused to meet his eyes, instead focusing on the boxes just past the door.

Laurence dropped his smile, only watching his employee eye the floor. “Do you realize what you have done wrong, Phillip?”

“You shouted down a customer in the middle of the store. Not only that, but you tore away some of our product in you rage. Can you give me any reasonable explanation as to why that was so?”

The man’s hands clenched, but gave no response. He seemed to be quite curious into the floor design.

“Fighting perhaps? Odd, as no sounds of it seemed to be happening. I’ll be sure to check the cameras.”

“Why are you defending it?”

Laurence tilted his head and blinked. “Excuse me?”

“It’s not even a person!” Phillip shouted, finally looking up to face him. “It’s just an animal.”

Laurence made no answer, keeping a level gaze on the man. Phillip swallowed audibly, quickly breaking contact. After only a few moments, but surely a few years to Phillip, Laurence inhaled and clearly spoke.

“If you cannot treat them with respect, can I be sure you will do so for others? How do I know you have not already broken the code of conduct before?” Laurence glared coldly at the trembling man. He seemed to mutter something. “Well?” Laurence growled.

“You’ll just have to take my word for i-it.” Phillip said louder.

He raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Richards, we are not in the business of words. We are in the business of actions. And it strikes me that your actions today reflect poorly on not just yourself, but on the rest of the staff and Macy’s as well.” At Phillip’s cringing, Laurence’s tone darkened. “Do you honestly believe no one recorded even a portion of your outburst? At the minimum, someone’s blog is about to garner quite some attention.”

Laurence fell quite, the man staring at him. “Wh-what are you trying to say? You’re going to fire me?”

“I’m definitely considering it.” Laurence shrugged. “At minimum, you’ll be on leave without pay for a month while a proper investigation into your past actions is pursued. But, if you’d rather leave us entirely right now, by all means.” Twirling on his heel, Laurence walked off. “You may take your leave now, Mr. Richards. And if I hear of anything else from you before the investigation is over, you will be released permanently, no questions asked. Do not screw up your chance.”

With that, he left the stock room and the slack-jawed man within. Shutting the door, he let out a sigh, turned, and promptly sputtered. “M-Mrs. Undyne! Personal space and employee privacy, please!”

She didn’t even have the decency to hide her cackling. “And miss out on the juicy details? You really grilled the little bi-” Laurence glared. “-iiilge rat. Bilge rat. But why not just fire him? Jerks like him don’t deserve to work in a nice place like this!”

Straightening his suit, Laurence sighed. “No, jerks like him do not. However, this has been the first time Mr. Richards has given anyone trouble…to my recollection.”

“What, you gonna be looking into him?”

“Of course, though that is none of your business you know.” Laurence answered, raising an eyebrow.

Undyne shrugged, seemingly unrepentant. “I did work captain of the guard for a while. I know a trouble maker when I see one. Besides, I bet he wasn’t the only one giving you trouble.”

“Well, we have been getting complaints as of late, but I assure you Macy’s will not change its policy. This store is monster friendly and will remain that way.” Laurence reformed his smile. “Regardless, I must go find the poor soul he just traumatized and fully apologize.”

Undyne glanced around. “Oh, Leo? Guy’s sitting over at that cashier. One of your other dudes went to get him a coffee.”

“Oh. Well I am glad someone is helping give this store a good reputation.” With that, Laurence strode over, and apologetic smile already forming on his face. He noticed most of the crowd had vanished, but a few people were watching him approach the still-sniffling lion. Well, they’ll see what they wish too, he thought.  
Leo was a fairly large lion, Laurence realized, as he could look him straight in the eye while the lion sat in a chair. The fur around his face dripped with tears, but otherwise he seemed quite well kept. And the dress he wore was an absolute delight! Heavens, with all this sobbing, it made him think the Cowardly Lion borrowed Dorothy’s dress. He needed to get this lion in some ruby slippers.

Shaking his head of such things, Laurence coughed politely, catching the monster’s attention. “Hello sir. I am the manager of this store, and I am terrible sorry for the horrible treatment by our staff toward you. If there is anything at all-”

“Oooh no, it’s – err, I…” Leo buried his head into the handkerchief once more, a horn-like noise erupting. Laurence refused to cringe at the sight of the sopping material, instead pulling a second one out and offering it. “T-thank you. I’m just, so sh-shaken up by this all.”

As the lion hiccupped, Laurence grimaced. “I completely understand sir. If there is anything Macy’s can do to make up for it, please, let me know.” At Leo’s nod, Laurence smiled. “Good. And, might I compliment you on your outfit? You look as if you stepped right out of a movie with it.”

For a moment, Laurence thought he misspoke. The lion’s eyes stared at him in shock, filling with fresh tears. “T-thank y-you!”

Leaving the comforted monster to collect himself, Laurence practically slammed into a wall of blue muscle. “Ms. Undyne, personal space!” At her squinting face, he felt himself sweltering. “I understand you have more questions, but I have to go file reports. Privately.”

“Yeah yeah, punk. I know.” A single scaled finger (my what a sharp nail) filled his vision. “But you let me know the next time someone’s getting threatened, capiche? I’ll get some help in here if ya need it.”

Security monsters? Interesting…and they’d never have to be armed. But it was not his place. Pulling her hand in to shake, Laurence smiled up at Undyne. “Thank you. Ms. Undyne. I’ll keep that in mind.” With a twirl, he spun her around and gently pushed. “Now I really must get back to work. But do let me know what your girlfriend thinks of your gifts!”

Laurence classily, but quite quickly stepped away before Undyne could grab him. He most certainly did not chuckle as he did so either.

{=============================================================================}

Laurence paused in his walk. The streets were silent, except for the sounds of music coming from house 28. His home. He leaned against the nearby fence, letting out a sigh. After the mess at work, he’d forgotten all about the people coming over. At least Undyne had the decency not question him further, but the investigation reports had taken an hour, and he’d already received voicemails from some reporters asking about the situation.

“This would be so much easier if the boss would say something.” Laurence thought, pushing himself off. He strolled down the sidewalk, letting his stress fall away as he approached the door. Laurence had guests in his home, and he’d be a horrible co-host if he didn’t act proper.

Unlocking the door, Laurence prepared a greeting when his eyes settled on the entrance hall. Meeting his gaze was Clarisse, someone from the bar (Charlie, he believed) and a short skeleton drinking a bottle of ketchup. Laurence may have faltered at tad at that. Ketchup. Why? And why was this skeleton wearing basketball shorts with a winter jacket? Laurence blinked. Was that a turtleneck underneath? Who does that?!

“hey bud. mind shutting the door? cold goes right through me, but you humans aren’t as lucky.” A low voice said from next to him. Laurence whirled away, a shriek dying on his lips as the same sloppy skeleton stared up at him. Willing his heartbeat to calm down, Laurence slowly turned, shut the door, and looked back down to the still-grinning skeleton.

Before he could question this chest-high skeleton, a warm voice filled the air. “Larry! You finally got home!” Clarisse said, a wide grin on her face and a bottle of wine carelessly held in one hand. “And I see you’ve met Sans already. Hope he didn’t scare ya too much.”

“Oh, not at all.” Placing his bag beside the door, he properly turned to face the skeleton. “I suppose you two got acquainted at New Grillby’s?”

Sans gave a short nod. “clarisse mentioned how her larry could fix my wardrobe malfunction in a heartbeat.” The skeleton winked, and suddenly, the house went almost silent. “that’s real high ‘class’ of ya, bud.”

Laurence felt his face take on a multitude of expressions before it finally settled on exasperation as the rest of the house lit up with laughter and groaning. “I suppose I can add you to the list. You’ll be behind Mrs. Alphys and your brother though.”

“oh? i hope you’ll get him a pun-stripe suit.” Laurence twitched, just a tad, as Sans winked once more. “nice of you to do that though. alphys never got out of the college mentality.”

“And you have?” Clarisse questioned, sidling against Laurence. He gratefully took the wine, wrapping his other arm around her.  
“nah. lazy bag of bones like me was practically born there. ‘sides, dressin takes effort.”

“Really? Hmm…” Laurence looked over the skeleton, ignoring the giggling at his side. “Well, if it’s effort that’s the issue, I believe I can find some professional, and comfortable, clothing for you. What colors do-”

He felt a kiss on his cheek. “Alright hun, this is a party, not work. You can do your ‘thing’ some other time, k’?”

Laurence chuckled, turning to rest his forehead against Clarisse’s. “Whatever you say dear.” He ignored the whistling from nearby, instead grinning at Clarisse. “Now then, shall I be properly introduced, or will I be tugged around like a show-dog?”

“I’m thinking show-dog. So much to be proud of and brag about.” She said, a sly grin matching his own. Clarisse leaned up, kissing him softly before pulling him forward. “Come on!”

Laurence hoped his smile looked as real as it felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for this huge delay. I've had this sitting around for almost a month, but finals and internship hunting kinda took over my life. But I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little oddity of my mind. I originally meant for it to be shorter then this, but, well, inspiration. I'll probably get another chapter out by next week. Please critic as best you can; I'm always looking to improve.
> 
> Have a wonderful day!


End file.
